Director, PR & Communications Homes.com

Job Description

CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is a leading global provider of commercial and residential real estate information, analytics, and online marketplaces.  Included in the S&P 500 Index and the NASDAQ 100, CoStar Group is on a mission to digitize the world’s real estate, empowering all people to discover properties, insights and connections that improve their businesses and lives. 

We’ve done your homework!  Homes.com is reimagining the home search experience for consumers and agents alike.  We are empowering people to discover homes, share insights and make connections on their terms – disrupting a multi-billion-dollar industry.  Homes.com is the fastest growing real estate portal in the industry, and we are driven to be number 1!

We are seeking a Director of Communications to develop and implement a comprehensive communications strategy that will grow awareness, engagement, media impressions, and share of voice for the Homes.com brand, and to promote the brand to key media outlets as the leader in the residential industry, rental market industry and consumer insights space.

Key responsibilities will involve promoting proprietary data, written analyses and data-driven content, along with garnering media exposure for key leaders.  Collaboration with market analysts, established media relations experience and a proactive attitude are important for the success of this role.

The position will be based in Washington, DC. This senior-level role will report to the Vice President of Marketing and Communications.

Key Responsibilities:

• Position Homes.com as the leader in the residential real estate industry.
• Target key industry, business, financial and news publications, educating them on the scope and breadth of the company’s reach and analytics.
• Develop written materials, including but not limited to press releases, report summaries, and media talking points.
• Create a robust public relations strategy; oversee public relations agency and annual PR plan; collaborate on all press releases related to Homes.com news and events.
• Aggressively pitch and elevate in-house experts for interviews, speaking engagements and events
• Communicate Homes.com view of the residential market to national and regional media outlets by securing interviews, TV appearances, and news article collaborations.
• Collaborate with leads in Product Marketing, Corporate Marketing & Communications, social media teams, Product teams and Content teams to identify potential media narratives and stories.
• Monitor day-to-day PR activity and provide analysis over longer time periods to optimize media strategy.
• Work closely with the data team, including its Chief Economist, to develop unique insights/angles that can be leveraged for consumer-facing media coverage
• Answer media requests for data and executive interviews.
• Track current events to create timely, newsworthy releases that promote the company’s offerings to industry and news media audiences.
• Produce 3-5 data-driven press releases per month.
• Work with analysts to develop story ideas or talking points for press releases and interviews.

• Work with a design team on visual elements (charts, social media images, etc.)
• Work closely with external PR firms to coordinate activity.

Desired Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism or related field from an accredited educational institution; Master’s degree-preferred
• Must have minimum 3 years in a role focused on residential real estate
• A minimum of 10 years of professional experience in communications strategy and execution
• Deep understanding of the current media landscape with excellent news judgment
• Established media relationships with key financial services and economic reporters
• Proven track record in creative pitching
• Experience working with executive-level staff on written communications (quotes, presentations, internal comms, etc.)
• Ability to manage a variety of projects at one time with tight deadlines
• Proven success and passion for securing media coverage
• Strong work ethic, writing and oral communications skills
• Experience with Microsoft suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Familiarity with social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter)

This position offers a base salary range of $157,400-$282,200, based on relevant skills and experience and includes a generous benefits plan.

CoStar Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer; we maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing